I just traded my motorcycle for my first RX-7 convertible, and it needs a bit of work. I don't know what kind of power I should really be expecting since this is my first rotary, but acceleration seems horrendous!!! I was thinking maybe a plugged cat, but I'm getting some conflicting info. I can get the car up to interstate speeds, but it takes way too long to get there. Torque is so low that I can't even spin out on dirt putting the pedal on the floor! It is an automatic and a non-turbo, but this can't be normal. My wife's Windstar has twice the power! Anybody dealt with this?!

 

Its a convertable..which means Heavy.
and it's an auto..which means it's "castrated"..!!!

 

I had an automatic 1990 LeBaron Convertible in high school. It was much faster. There's no way the Lebaron of 1990 is more powerful than the RX-7. The 3.0 LeBaron only had 141 hp compared to my RX's 160. I could really use some advice here...

 

Advice.Besides getting rid of the Auto Transmission..right?.(vert weighs more than a coupe.check the Specs.).
The automatic is not exactly a "spiffy" transmission.
Besides that you can Compression check the engine.
Give it a full tune up if the engine is Ok.
I own coupes.I bought a Vert thinking "wind in my hair,fast,yahoo"..
Not the case,it was slow..Been there.Sold that.
If you are thinking this thing will just be a Rocket then you will be disappointed.Unless you toss a Turbo engine in it,then it would spark to life.
The only real thing I liked about Verts though is the feel of the car on the road..heavy but yet stable.
May not be much on info but it will get ya a free Bump.
Good luck.

 

make sure your auxiliary ports are working. My brother's fc felt slow because his werent opening. this is especially common on the 86-88 model.

 

welcome to the board.

have you gone through and done the basics with this car since it's new to you? if not, go ahead do that first (tuneup, fresh fluids, transmission filter, etc.).

I've never driven a ragtop Rx-7 before, but if it is behaving as badly as you describe (no embellishment), then I would tend to think something is wrong. my best guesses at where to begin would be: (1.) auxiliary ports and (2.) the transmission.

as said before, the convertibles are significantly heavier than the coupes, and while the T2s were heavier than the N/A coupes ... well ... they had turbos. increased torque is what you really need, and unfortunately, the most effective to achieve that in this case (if you want to keep it subtle) is a turbo. when you get the car to stock performance levels, you can then decide which road you want to take: basic N/A upgrades or turbo?

that said ... I remember back in the late 80s, Racing Beat chose to build a convertible for a performance shootout, and they chose to keep it automatic. it was pretty basic from what I recall, but if you can find any information on it now, it may be helpful to you. it was basically a rolling advertisement for their Gen II parts, but it was pretty hot. a point to note though, is that they did remove the convertible top and it's mechanicals - they called it California Roadster, if I recall.